10th Birthday !!!

We, over here at the T household, have been in a major funk. It’s grey outside, Matt’s probably going to lose his job, my job is super-ridiculously stressful, money’s tight, I can’t sleep…you get the picture. Thank goodness for 10th birthdays to bring a little !!! into the house!

Before all the guests arrived (just family but it’s more fun to refer to them as guests, right?) I took some shots of my beautiful 10-year-old girl. This isn’t the best quality picture…but she sure looks happy and excited, doesn’t she? !!!

Matty wanted a picture with his new monkey. He and Matt got to go to the zoo when I was out of town last week and he ate lunch at the zoo (which we never do) and got the monkey from the gift shop (another thing we never do). So it was a big day! My favorite part about the picture? His zipper’s down!!!

I didn’t get any pics of Gabe because he was at another birthday party…and he currently hates having his picture taken.

We were in the kitchen eating appetizers and drinking wine when my friend, Lynn, said “Do you hear paper ripping?” Sure enough Olivia had decided it was time to open presents. So we did. Very !!!

She looked so grown up opening the presents all alone and then wanting it immediately. Usually she opens presents and then tosses them aside unless it’s a movie. Not anymore!!! And I’ll never get tired of watching her play. After waiting so long for purposeful play, it’s really a treat to watch. !!!

Her current obsession with Justin Bieber just floors me. It’s so pre-teen, isn’t it? She has a poster in her room that she waves goodnight to every night. She was given two Justin t-shirts and a cup. She was so excited. She also received a rock star dress up outfit and immediately started singing “Baby, Baby” into the mic. God, I love this girl.

Another thing that was very !!! about this birthday? The boys and their choices in gifts. Matthew just had to get Olivia the Mo Willems DVD where they read his books including “The Pigeon Drives the Bus” and “Knuffle Bunny”. He also just had to get her a stuffed pigeon and stuffed Knuffle. I love it that he knew exactly what she would want!!!

Gabe used his Amazon gift card that he earned from selling Boy Scout popcorn to buy Olivia’s gift. He picked out fairy wings and a Zhu Zhu pet that looks just like my Mom’s dog…which Olivia loves. She was overjoyed!!!

My friend Michelle made a weighted blanket for me to give to Olivia. She crawled under it after opening it and said “This is the life!” I wish I would have gotten her one before now!!!

And even though I’m constantly carrying these upstairs and downstairs and upstairs again, I never get tired of Olivia playing with all of her “friends”.

It still amazes me that we can now sing Happy Birthday to her!!! For years we couldn’t because the sound bothered her. Now she loves it!!!

Finally, this was the first year that she truly blew out her own candles!!!

It’s so fun watching her grow up. It’s amazing really. How very !!! is it that I get to experience a true miracle every single day???